Client Testimonials
“Katie is a writer’s editor, she puts the writer first. She has brought energy, focus and dedication to a variety of editorial jobs, including fiction, poetry and work in translation. She is a knowledgeable all-rounder when it comes to publishing too. ”
“Working with Katie was incredibly beneficial not only in elevating my novel but also in my progress as a writer. She brings in-depth knowledge of structural editing and plotting, keen attention to detail and always provides insightful feedback. She was always approachable, understanding and respectful of the original style and voice of the manuscript, as well as clear and concise with her suggestions. As a result, my novel was sharper, more cohesive and refined. I couldn’t recommend her enough if you want to take your work to the next level.”
“It was a distinct honour and pleasure to collaborate with Katie on the editing of my third poetry collection, ‘The Face Before You’. Her performance throughout the entire process was exceptional, and she managed the editing with remarkable proficiency.”
“I had a great experience working with Katie, not only due to her professionalism, but also because of the detailed and useful feedback that she provided. Thanks to her editing and comments, I was able to find new ways of improving my draft, and understand what my writing’s strengths and weakness were. I would highly recommend everyone to hire her as her feedback is always very honest and valuable.”
Past project Highlight
Acquired through Leamington Books, This is Home came to me a couple of drafts in. The aim was to get it market ready after only a couple more run throughs, with everyone involved working on various other strands of publication simultaneously. The key ingredients to getting it done? Communication, clarity about timeline, capacity and needs, and enthusiastic creatives ready to work.
I ran a full line edit three months out from publication, working remotely with author and publisher. I began with a non-annotated read through of the novel, making a personal report on character development, plot flow, tonality and accessibility. I then worked on Google Docs with Luca, correcting grammar and spelling, adding comments for every change over three words, and asking questions of Luca throughout, ensuring all of his choices were thoughtful and deliberate. We made some changes to ordering, smoothed out the timeline and logistics, and added to the characters richness, pushing their emotional reactions further.
The main editorial challenge with this book was navigating every characters’ use of English as their second language. Each speaker had their own way of using the language, and so simple spell check and grammar rules could not be applied. Making our own rules for each characters’ dialect, I ensured consistency and accessibility for readers. They could hear the characters’ speak, gain a deeper familiarity with them and let the plot take over.
Sometimes, the official rules just won’t do and you have to make your own guidelines. This allows for creativity, unique world and character building and flexibility within the confines of readability.